Serbia FM: Pristina Is Getting Nervous

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that it is more than obvious that the Kosovo Albanian government is becoming increasingly nervous as Pristina and Belgrade await the decision of the International Court of Justice, ICJ, on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence.

In an interview with daily Politika, Jeremic said that “the most important thing is to keep our composure and not react thoughtlessly to attempted provocation no matter how painful it might be for us.”

He added that Serbia is now most likely a few months away from the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo case.

“We have reason to be optimistic, and when the position has been announced, I think that a new reality will emerge politically. I believe that after the court releases its opinion, the number of countries that recognise Kosovo will not increase (...) Likewise, it will be relatively easy to stop any possible application by Kosovo for membership in an international organisation,” the daily quoted the minister as saying.

He expressed his expectations that the ICJ opinion will block the imposition of the so-called "new reality" proclaimed on February 17, 2008, when Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence.

"Our goal of using the court’s opinion, along with a degree of diplomatic effort, is to create a situation where it will become obvious that there is no alternative to continued dialogue," the minister pointed out.

Speaking about UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recent call for Belgrade and Pristina to put aside the debate on the status for the sake of improving regional cooperation, Jeremic said that part of the report has not been completely accurately interpreted by the Serbian public. "The Secretary General said that we should search for flexible solutions that would not freeze regional cooperation. Serbia has been very constructive in this regard, and we continue to behave like that," he said.